ROBERTSDALE, Alabama -- Dana Matthew's work helping dropouts earn their GEDs got her thinking about what could be done to improve Baldwin County's graduation rate.

About 74 percent of Baldwin County's students graduate on time.

"Let's try to make that higher," she told the Baldwin County school board Friday.

Matthews is one of three candidates interviewed today for a vacant seat on the school board.

The District 7 seat, which includes Spanish Fort, Loxley and Silverhill, has been vacated by Tracy Roberts, who was elected to the state school board.

Matthews is the second of three candidates to be interviewed today by the board. Shannon Cauley was interviewed earlier today. Tom Ward is next. The board will vote at 5 p.m.

A resident of Spanish Fort, Matthews is an adult education and online instructor at Faulkner State Community College. She’s had a variety of careers, including daycare director, middle school teacher and real estate broker.

Matthews graduated from Baldwin County High School and has a bachelor’s degree from Troy University, where she is working on her master's. She and her husband Paul, pastor at Jubilee Baptist Church in Daphne, have two children who graduated from Spanish Fort High.

Originally from Pennsylvania, she said she has noticed that schools aren't funded as well here as elsewhere, presenting a challenge. She said she was ecstatic that voters recently renewed a 1-cent sales tax for schools.

Baldwin County schools' biggest asset is the teachers and school staff, she said.

If selected, she said, the first thing she would do is call board members, "and start asking a lot of questions."

K-12 education reporter Rena Havner Philips is covering
the interviews live and blogging them on al.com.